Train speed-control and stopping device.



L. W. HORNE & W. N. CRANE. TRAIN SPEED coNmoL AND sToPPlNG DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 4, I9l4.

Patented .mm3/1917.

ff/zgwm# W ATTORNEY tained therein certain ma UNITED sTATEs PATENT omen.

LAWRENCE WESLEY HORNE, OF BROOKLYN, AND WARREN NOBLE CRANE, OF NEW YORK,N. Y.

'lRAIN SPEED-OONTROL AND S'LOIEIPINGv DEVICE.

of New York, have invented certain new and 10 useful Improvements inTrain SpeedCon` trol and Stopping Devices, of which the following isaspecification.

The device, the subject of this invention utilizes a complete traincircuit having conetically operated valves and subsequent y operatedpistons and aimagnetic member included in the circuit and suspended fromthe train or lof comotive at any convenient point, together 2 ,0 with anordinary railroad track 1nto which A has been interposed and at definiteand con venient pointslnon-magnetic sections of rail each adapted to beincluded in a magnetic.

field whenever occasion requires.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a means forobtaining a predetermined operative speedof the ocomotive and trainattached, for reducing the speed under certain conditions and for,completely stopping the train when it shall be required to do so. A

This device operates in combination with or in addition to the ordinarysignal system and the construction and the means Aof operation will befully ,set forth'as the specification progresses..

The following 1s what 'we consider the best means of carrying out thisinvention.

The accompanying drawings forma part.

of this specification, in which:

Figure 1 shows in elevation, partly in diagram and partly in section aportion of the track together with the locomotive .devices and thewiring therefor. Fig. 2 is a diagram of the track connection. Fig. 3shows in side elevation partly in section certain of the mechanismsshown in Fig. 1.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts in all the figures wherethey appear. .In the operation of this device we utilize a train lineair pipe as shown at 1, and a discharge therefrom as indicated at 2, andbetween the air pipe l, and the discharge 2 we interpose a magneticallyoperated valve Speeication of Letterslatent.

Application med latch 4, 1914. Serial No. 822,301.-

Patented J an. 23, 191'?.n

3 which normally closes the air pipe preventing the escape ofair'therefrom. It is this valve 3 andthe action thereof that we control-in such a manner as to obtain a selective operation of the valve or anopening thereof only when itis necessary to automatically set the brakesof a train to pre# vent accident.

We have stated that the valve 3 is a magnetically operated valve. It isin fact an electromagnet that-we employ'and for its operation we providea battery or source of current supply 4 arranged upon and carried by thelocomotive or train. We desire a selective operation of the valve 3 andan operation that will be timed in such a man ner that it will beeffected only under pre-j? determined conditions and to this end weinterpose between the valve 3 and the battery.

or, current supply 4 certain other mechanical and electrical devicesthat we will new fully describe. y f i At 5,l we show an ordinary steelrunning rail the construction of which is too familiarl to requiredetailing and at 6 we show thef` by an approaching train being fartherfrom each other than those at the end of the block.

We may however desire that even these manganese sections should bemagnetic or rather contained in a magnetic eld and to accomone upon eachside of the rail and between' i these plates and under the rail we placea of the track battery in such a manner that ,l

when the next succeedin blockis occupied the solenoid will open t ecircuit through the track batte scribed. It willybe appreciated 'thatwhen the circuit is closed through the :coils and track battery themanganese sections are magnetic sections as fully as are the other andthe coils 15 just derplish this .we arrange iron plates 13 and 14 into acylinder 18. When the valve 25 opens sections of the steel rail, butwhen the circuit- 5 over them.

At 18, we have shown a casing that may be of brass and which issupported by a locomotive or train and in line with the traction wheels,the lower end of 'this casing should be arranged closely adjacent to theupper surface of the rail. Within the casing is an electromagnet 19having a rigid pole 19 and a movable core or plunger 19". This core isretained down by its magnetic attraction forthe steel rail but whenpassing over a manganese section 4which is not in` cluded in a magneticeld the core will be.. lifted by the spring 20, the upward motion of'the core interrupts the circuit between the contacts 21 and 22 cuttlngthem out of the battery circuit into which they have been incorporatedby reason of the contact 23 which is so arranged that.

the current may pass downward through the 25 spring 20 and arm 24. Theinterruptlng of this circuit denergizes cally controlled valve 25.

The valve '25 controls the passage of air from an air Elpe 26, which maybe connected with a suita le reservoir through a pipe 27 anelectromagnetiair passes through the pipe 27 and through the leak groove28 over a piston 29 andthe piston is slowly started on its way downward.The downward motion of the piston continues until the lal ger opening orpassage 30 is uncovered when the speed of the piston 29 will beincreased. It then continues downward until the port 31 is uncoveredwhich allows the air to leave pass into the cylinder 32, there todepress the piston 33 against the spring pressure 34. The time taken forthe piston 29 to pass and uncover the port 31 is such that the contacts21 and 22 will again be made by the passage of the electromagnet 19 overa steel rail before the air enters the cylinder 32. The reestablishingof the circuit through the contacts 21 and 22 will not however close thevalve 25 as the circuit through this valve is interrupted by thedropping of the contact disk 25a of this lvalve 25.

The cylinder 32 may be termed the main timing cylinder and thecompressed air therein depresses the piston 32 and opens a circuitthrough the contacts 35 and 36 continuing on its travel it causes thedisk 37 to close the circuit through the contacts 38 and 39restablishing the circuit through the electromagnetic valve 25 andclosing the valve. As no more air can then enter the timing cylinder thespring therein willcause the air to be slowly exhausted through the port40 in the cylinder-18,and the piston 55 will again return completing thecircuit the cylinder 18 and v through the contacts 35 and 36. From theopening of the circuit at contacts 21 and 22 to the final closing of thecircuit through the contacts-35 and 36 a certain delimte period of timewill elapse, a period that' shall 1n every instance be predetermined,and it will be seen that the spacing of the manganese sections 7 and 8may be such that the circuit opened by reason of the manganese section 7will be fully restablished and closed before the section 8 is reached.Should the train be running faster than a predetermined speed betweenthe sections 7 and 8, the piston would not have returned to an extentsuiiicient to close the circuit through the contacts 21 and 22 woulddeenergize the magnet of the valve 3 with the .result that the pressureof the train line air pipe 1 would be exhausted, resulting in anapplication of the train brakes.

It'will be noted that the timingmechzv nisrn is operated at eachnon-magnetic section of rail but as the circuit through the valve 3 isrestablished .through the contacts 21 and 22 the connecting wire 41, thecon tacts 42 and 43, and the main line wire 44 before the contact isbroken at 35 and 36,'no operation of the valve 3 will take place unlessthe circuit through the contacts 21 and 22 is again broken before thepiston 33 has returned to its full extent.

When the timingoperation has been completed and the airl is exhaustedfrom the cylinder 32 the disk 37 closes the circuit with the contacts 55and 56 energizing and closing the magnetically controlled valve 3. Thedevice can however be used without this release feature by omitting thecontacts 55 and 56 and disk 37, and any other means may be usedto closethe circuit across 55 and 56 to release the brake. v

As this device operates on the closed circuit principle the failure ofthe batteries or any other interruption to the current flow will cause asetting of the brakes. In Fig. 3, we show that certain of the wires maybe run in cables and We provide a circuit breaker 54 and certainresistances 51, 52, 53, etc., at the contact points. The crossing of anyof the wires in the cable or at any other point would cut out theresistance and throw an overload upon the circuit breaker 54 which wouldthen automatically open the battery circuit causing an application ofthe brakes.

Having carefully and fully described our invention what we claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A train stop comprising amagnetic track having non-magnetic sections, a magnetic circuitinterrupting means retained by the track, a valve operated by therelease ated by air passing through said valve and adapted toreestablish the circuit through said valve.

2. A train speed controlling device, including magnetic rails andnon-magnetic sections having controllable magnetic fields adjacentthereto, a circuit opening device maintained closed by said magnetictrack and ield, a magnetically operated and normally closed air valveopened by the interruption of said circuit maintaining device, and aduplex cylinder and plurality of pistons operable therein forrestablishing the circuit through said air Valve.

3. A device vof the character described having a magnetically controlledcircuit i maintaining means and a magnetically operated air valveelectrically connected therewith and operated thereby,a main cylinderand piston operable therein and adapted to restablish a circuit throughsaid valve and an auxiliary cylinder and piston therein adapted tocontrol the passage of air from said valve to said main piston.

4. A magnetically operated circuit main- I taining means adapted to beoperated by an interruption of a magnetic field an air valve operated byan operation of said malntaining means, a piston operated by the passageof air through said air valve and operating v means for restablishing acircuit through said air valve by a depression of said piston and asecond air valve operated by an interruption of said maintaining meansduring the' movement of said piston.

5. A train speed controlling device which includes a magnetic `railhaving a plurality of non-magnetic sections each provided with anelectromagnetic field and a magnetic circuit retaining means adapted tobe passed over said magnetic rail and to be operated by the denergizingof the electromagnetic fields adjacent to the non-magnetic sections, anelectromagnetically operated air valve adapted to be opened by theoperation of said maintaining means, a cylinder and piston operatedtherein and connected to said air Valve and controlled thereby, meansupon said piston for restablishing a circuit to close said air valve anda second air valve connected to a train line air pipe and means operablewith said piston for maintaining said second air valve closed during aninitial interruption through said main/taining means and means foroperating said second air valve upon an interruption of said maintainingmeans during the movement of said piston.

Signed at New York city, in the county and State of New York this 26 dayof February, 1914.

LAWRENCE WESLEY HORNE. WARREN NOBLE CRANE. Witnesses:

G. E. STERRI'ITE, ARTHUR PHELPS MARR.

